Couples therapy in English for relationships between two cultures.
When partners come from different countries, love also means negotiating two languages, two families and two ideas of home. I offer couples therapy in English, Portuguese or both, so each of you can be heard in the language you feel most at home in — in person in São Paulo or online.
The same argument, again, in two languages.
Feeling that your partner doesn't really get where you come from.
Wondering where “home” is going to be.
Lost in translation
Important conversations stay half-finished when one partner has to express feelings in a second language.
Different codes
Different ways of showing affection, handling conflict or saying no — each one normal in its own culture.
Two families
Expectations from both sides, holidays, visits, distance — and the feeling of always choosing one.
Where to live
Staying in Brazil, moving back, or somewhere new: decisions that touch careers, family and identity.
Couples who live between cultures
Married, dating, engaged or considering separation — couples therapy is a space to understand each other better, not to decide who is right.
One Brazilian, one foreign partner
Each partner can speak in their own language. I move between English and Portuguese so no one feels like the outsider in the room.
Couples who moved to Brazil together
Relocation reshapes roles: one partner's career moves forward, the other's pauses. It's common for the relationship to feel the strain.
Parenting between two cultures
Raising children with two languages, two sets of values and grandparents far away brings questions worth talking through together.
Understanding each other, across cultures
Many conflicts in intercultural couples aren't really about the dishes or the in-laws — they're about different, unspoken rules for love, respect and belonging.
In sessions we make those rules visible, so you can build shared agreements instead of repeating the same fight.
- Communication and recurring conflicts
- Cultural differences in affection and intimacy
- Family expectations on both sides
- Relocation and career decisions
- Trust, crisis and separation
- Parenting between two cultures
Depth to understand. Tools to change.
Many people have been to therapy and felt they were just repeating the same story, session after session. Listening matters — but listening alone doesn't change much. My work brings together two trainings:
Understanding the roots
My training in psychoanalysis helps us understand what's really going on beneath the surface — the why behind what you feel and repeat, beyond the symptom.
Practicing change
My training in psychodrama brings practical tools to experiment, in session, with new ways of coping and connecting — not just talking about change, but living it.
Depth to understand. Action to change.
No judgment. Just real listening.
Real reviews from clients. The phrase that comes up again and again is “free of judgment”.
“I do online therapy with Rafa and I truly love our sessions. She is wonderful and always helps me see what I can't notice on my own; it's incredible how she understands what sometimes even I can't quite explain.”
“Rafaela is an excellent professional, very ethical and attentive. I felt welcomed from the very first session. She conveys trust, empathy and safety, guiding the therapeutic process with great sensitivity and professionalism — and above all, free of judgment, which makes all the difference.”
“Rafaela has incredible sensitivity — I have never felt so welcomed. The calm way she guided the process helped me slow down in life; I've always been very anxious. Congratulations on such beautiful work!”
“Rafaela is an excellent professional; her care is simply wonderful, human and welcoming. I always feel respected and heard during our sessions. Extremely attentive to every detail. Top marks!”
“An excellent professional. We are making real progress on my life purpose — I recommend her to anyone looking for their purpose, whether in business or in family life.”
“My experience with Rafaela was very important in my life. She helped me learn to live again and showed me that I am, and can be, capable of having my life back. My word for her is GRATITUDE.”
Rafaela Goodman
I'm a psychotherapist trained in psychoanalysis and psychodrama. I work with adults, couples, families and groups, and with adolescents from 16. I was a collaborator at the Grief Support Program (PROALU) at Unifesp's psychiatry department, and today I see clients at my private practice in Higienópolis, São Paulo, and online, worldwide.
I'm Brazilian and married to an Englishman, so living between two languages and two cultures is part of my everyday life — not just something I studied.
I work in English and Portuguese, with particular attention to people who live between cultures. Intercultural couples are a particular focus of my work.
Starting is simple
Get in touch
Send a message on WhatsApp, a text or an email — whichever feels easiest.
First conversation
We talk about what brings you here and see whether working together feels right.
Choose the format
In person in Higienópolis or online by video — in English, Portuguese or both.
Regular sessions
Sessions last one hour, at a time we agree on together, in your time zone.
Frequently asked questions
Can we do sessions if one of us doesn't speak Portuguese?
Yes. Sessions can be in English, in Portuguese or moving between both, so each partner can speak in the language they're most comfortable with.
How long is a session?
Each session lasts one hour.
Can we do couples therapy online?
Yes. Couples sessions can be online by video — with both partners in the same room or in different places — or in person in Higienópolis, São Paulo.
Do we both need to be sure about therapy before starting?
No. It's common for one partner to be more hesitant. The first conversation is a chance for both of you to see how it feels, with no commitment.
Do you also see individuals?
Yes. I see individuals, couples, families and groups. Sometimes it helps to combine couples sessions with individual work.
Is therapy confidential?
Yes. Everything shared in sessions is protected by professional confidentiality, in line with the Code of Ethics of the Brazilian Federal Council of Psychology. I'm registered with the São Paulo Regional Council of Psychology (CRP SP 06/184484).
How do I book a first conversation?
Send a message on WhatsApp, a text message or an email. I'll reply to find a time for a first conversation, so we can see whether working together feels right.
This practice does not provide emergency care. If you are in crisis in Brazil, call CVV on 188 (24h, free) or SAMU on 192. Outside Brazil, contact your local emergency number.
Book a first conversation
Reach out however you prefer — WhatsApp, text message or email. From there, we'll find the best time together, in person in São Paulo or online, wherever you are.
- Rua Doutor Albuquerque Lins, 537 — Higienópolis, São Paulo
- Online sessions worldwide
- +55 11 98180-6230 (WhatsApp & text)
- rafaelagrzywaczgoodman@gmail.com
